1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to child resistant safety cap and more particularly to such caps with built-in, automatically retracting key arm mechanisms. These caps are especially user friendly for arthritics and other users who have dexterity difficulties.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following is representative of the prior art for child resistant safety caps:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,393 to Simon Roberts et al. describes a safety cap for a container which comprises an inner cap member which is provided with means for sealing engagement with a container, an outer cap member telescopically mounted over said inner cap member and normally rotatable independently thereof and movable longitudinally thereof, a plate mounted in said outer cap member, means for releasably connecting said plate to one of said cap members, drive clutch mechanism for connecting said members together for positive drive action for rotation of the inner cap member when the outer cap member is rotated in one direction to remove the safety cap from a container, and for torque limiting, releasable drive action for rotation of the inner cap member when the outer cap member is rotated in another direction to attach the safety cap to the container, and including, a clutch driven means on the other of said cap members, and clutch drive means on said plate selectively engageable with said clutch driven means, and spring means mounted between said cap members for normally biasing the clutch drive and driven means apart to inoperative positions to allow independent rotation of the outer cap member relative to the inner cap member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,924 to James H. Kayser et al. describes a safety closure which restricts the opening of containers by children. The closure has an inner cap which is operable to open the container upon manual manipulation of a grasping surface on the inner cap. The closure also includes an inseparable outer cap which will not operate directly to open the closure, but which must be moved against the bias of a spring from a position at which it encloses the grasping surface to a position at which the grasping surface may be manually manipulated. The outer cap may be engageable with the inner cap to move the inner cap to a sealing position on the container by manipulation of the outer cap, or the inner cap may be spring biased to its closed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,690 to Stewart H. Birrell et al. describes a safety closure and container assembly which includes a container and a closure comprising outer and inner caps which may be attached to the container by conventional capping machines. In first, second, third and fourth embodiments of the invention, the inner cap is formed with a circular dome-shaped top panel with a skirt portion projecting axially therefrom. The projecting skirt portion is threaded on its interior surface for engagement with a conventionally threaded container finish. A plurality of upwardly extending and spaced apart drive members are integrally molded with the periphery of the top panel. A plurality of ramped ratchet lugs also extend upwardly from the upper surface of the top panel. The outer cap has a circular end wall with an axially projecting second skirt portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,632 to Glenn H. Morris, Sr. describes a condition indicating child resistant cap assembly including an inner cap and an outer cap rotatably mounted on the inner cap. An indicating post is connected to the top wall of the inner cap in alignment with an opening in the top wall of the outer cap. When the cap assembly is in the child resistant mode, the outer cap is spaced upwardly from the inner cap and is free rotatable in one direction thereon. The post is wholly contained within the space between the inner and outer caps and therefore not visible outside the cap assembly to indicate the cap assembly is in the child resistant mode. When the cap assembly is in the non-child resistant mode, the outer cap is rotated in the opposite direction until it snaps, and is moved downwardly toward the inner cap and rotated in the first mentioned direction, whereby the inner and outer caps are interlocked for removal from a container. The post extends outwardly of the cap assembly and therefore is visible to indicate that the cap assembly is in the non-child resistant mode.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,928 to Archie G. Drummond, Jr. describes a convertible child-resistant closure assembly which is described herein. It includes a closure and shell. The shell mounts a latching key and the closure provides a complementary latch. An alignment structure provides for aligning the latch and key for movement of the latching key from a mode in which the key is inactive to a mode in which it engages the latch to inactive the child-resistant function of the closure. In that position the shell and closure are corotatable in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions. Spring fingers may be provided to elevate the shell relative to the closure to provide an additional child-resistant function. The latching key may be hingedly or slideably secured to the shell.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.